The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession Hardcover - 2008

Media reviews

"The Brother Gardeners is a delightful book. It brings the story of 18th-century gardening to life in a remarkably vivid way, and sheds new light on the personality clashes and prejudices which lay at the root of the Georgians' passion for plants."
—Adrian Tinniswood

"A wondrous telling of the history of the very English love affair with gardens and growing things…I have learned so much from this book."
—Jon Snow

"Andrea's wonderful in-depth narrative of The Brother Gardeners provides a vivid horticultural contrast to the stark destitution instigated by the Enclosure Acts of the same period. A fascinating read for all those with an interest in plants, gardens and social history."
—Steven Poole

"Andrea Wulf captures the spirit of the tenacious men who made Britain the epicentre of horticultural knowledge and expertise in the 18th century. A totally engrossing read."
—Rosie Atkins, Curator, Chelsea Physic Garden

"Immaculately written and researched, this book brings to life the dramas and dangers of eighteenth-century plant collecting. You will never look at the plants in your garden in quite the same way when you know what these intrepid men went through to find them."
—Catherine Horwood

"The Brother Gardeners were a group of men involved in the 18th-century quest for new plants, at a fascinating period in garden history. They were dedicated and in some cases eccentric - Andrea Wulf brings their personalities vividly to life in her thoroughly researched and lively account."
—Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall